Correlation between job mental load and sleep quality with occupational burnout in non-clinical faculty members of Kashan University of Medical Sciences

Job burnout is a multifactorial disorder that can occur more frequently in occupations with a high concentration and mental burden, such as faculty members. Quality of sleep is effective on tasks that require new information storage and high mental load. So this study aimed to evaluate the correlation between job mental load and sleep quality with occupational burnout in non-clinical faculty members of Kashan University of Medical Sciences, 2018.

This descriptive-correlational study was performed on 102 non-clinical faculty members of Kashan University of Medical Sciences in 2019 and census. Data collection was done using Maslach questionnaires, NASA TLX and Pittsburgh. Statistical analysis was performed using Chi-square, Fisher's exact test, independent t-test and Pearson correlation coefficient.

About 90 percent of faculty members had high mental demand. There was no significant correlation between job burnout with mental job load and sleep quality. But there was a significant correlation between mental job load and sleep quality (R= -0/661, P<0.001). Also, job mental load was higher in faculty members of medical school and emotional exhaustion in faculty members of health faculty than other faculties (P<0.05).

Considering the high level of mental load of teachers and its negative impact on sleep quality, it is recommended that interventional programs aimed at creating proper occupational conditions, strengthening their job ability and teaching the principles of sleep health to reduce mental load of  job and improving the sleep quality of teachers, implemented.